Calvary Baptist Church Blog

Introduction: We love to blame people for our problems! This has been a problem in our world since the beginning of time. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed Satan. If someone we love dies, someone has to be held accountable. If the police shoot someone and they die, the police are to blame. If a loved one dies prematurely, then there has to be someone at fault. The hospital should be sued, the other driver had to be drunk or careless, the product faulty. Lawyers make money chasing ambulances because they make money by finding some-one who is liable. “You may be entitled to compensation.” Recently my dad had a stroke. Ob-viously there are some who think that the nursing home was negligent. It is a way of life in America. It is normal until the cross hairs are pointed at us and we are seen as the guilty par-ty . At that point someone, a friend, a neighbor, a co worker, goes into attack mode and they accuse us. Accusations are a very common communication problem. It used to be hard to accuse someone to their face. It was easier to gossip about it behind their back. Now with Facebook, texting, and other forms of media, you can shoot to kill and let out the bad feelings and accuse people easily without having to face immediate retaliation.

The last 2 months we have spent time studying the topic of worship. We have defined

worship as the correct response of the created to the magnificence of Our Creator. We have also seen that true worship is closely tied to a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude for all that God has done for us. We have learned that it includes entering His presence with joy and praise—because He alone is worthy of our adoration. This lesson will conclude with additional thoughts about the how, why and when of worship.

Be Present—Psalm 139

Look at Psalm 139:1-12

What kinds of things does God know about me?

Where can I go that God cannot find me?

Psalm 139 states Gods nearness wherever we find ourselves. We know He isn’t confined to a church building or only available at certain times of day. But we can still miss God at work even when He is right in front of our eyes. Why? Because we are still learning the art of knowing and following the voice of the Holy Spirit as He speaks.

Think about this: Two people hear the same song. One experiences God, and one daydreams about something that needs to be done at work next week. Two people face a crisis in life. One experiences an over-whelming sense of grace flood over the pain, while the other feels nothing but hurt, betrayal, anger and loneliness. Why? It’s all about how and where we place our faith and expectation. By God’s grace, I have a growing revelation of the love of God toward me, so that even on the hardest of days I am expecting Him to turn it around.

Worship—true worship— is something I have been thinking about a lot recently. Many Christians talk about worship in such a way that we are led to think that it is something that happens in church on Sunday morning. And that’s it. Now, it is true that worship is what we ought to be doing on Sunday mornings. Corporate worship—God’s people coming together—is important. The body of Christ needs to worship Christ together. But if that’s all we do, we are missing the point.

One of the hardest parts of growing to manhood or womanhood is setting priorities. In the Christian life, the main problems that we face are not usually because of bad things. Our greatest struggle is doing good things. The good that we do is the enemy of the best. Satan desires to fill our lives with good things so that we never get to do the best things. For instance, He does not mind us talking about our church as long as we don’t talk about our Savior. It is good to talk about our church, but it is not the best thing. It is not the thing that gives glory to God.

When we read our Bibles, the good is reading an entire book, or the entire Bible. The best is meditating on it and studying its meaning and applying it. If reading God’s Word becomes a ritual where we have no idea what we read when we finish with our devotions, it is not the best that God has for us.

The same is true about prayer. We pray for earthly things. We pray for healing and for work, and for safety, but if we fail to pray for the salvation of men and women, and fail to pray for that they would grow to love the Lord, we leave out those things that are eternal and substitute those things that will not last, physical healing, money needs and earthly strength. Those are good things, but not the best things.

Introduction: The beatitudes are some of the best known verses in the Sermon on the Mount. This is part of Christ’s first teachings in His ministry. He begins by saying, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit.” Jesus does not begin by teaching what a man should do, but begins by teaching what a man should think. We are caught up with doing, and it is one of the areas of failure in our lives. We are more concerned with what we do than with who we are. We are more concerned for saying the right thing than we are of thinking the right thing.

Background: According to the Mayo Clinic, decreased sun exposure has been associated with a drop in serotonin that can lead to SAD, seasonal affective disorder. SAD is a form of depression that is triggered by changing seasons. You’re more likely to experience SAD in the winter when the days are shorter and the nights are longer. Exposure to the ultraviolet-B radiation in the sun’s rays causes a person’s skin to create vitamin D. According to a study

, in a 30-minute period while wearing a swimsuit, people will make the following vitamin D levels:

50,000 international units (IUs) in most Caucasian people

20,000 to 30,000 IUs in tanned people

8,000 to 10,000 IUs in dark skinned people

The vitamin D made thanks to the sun plays a big role in bone health. Low vitamin D levels have been linked to rickets in children and bone-wasting diseases like osteoporosis and osteomalacia. It seems obvious that mankind is designed to live in the light. One of the first things that God created was light. Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

What are some of the characteristics of light?

Which of these characteristics are necessary for life?

Which of these characteristics are good for man, which are harmful?

Were these characteristics harmful when light was created?

(Note: God veiled some of the harmful forms of radiation and rays through the firmament. Did God have a lesson for man in that veil?)

When God created the light, God saw the light and it was good. God created us to have fellowship with Him. In the same way that God created man to need sunlight, He also created man to need the light of the Son. The further we get from God’s Son and His light, the darker our life will become and the more depraved we will act.

2) Mission of the Church Sunday– March 20th — a special Sunday with a special schedule…

8:15 am Service – Pastor Gene will be teaching on our Calvary Community

9:45 am- Combined Adult Classes in the Auditorium where Pastor Logan will be teaching on Growing in Groups

10:45 am Service – Pastor LaPine will be teaching on Mobilizing Groups in Evangelism

3) Easter Cantata/Drama – Our Choir, Orchestra and Drama cast will be presenting, “The Cross – The Power of God” on Saturday evening at 6:30 pm, and again on Sunday morning at 10:45 am. Invite your family and friends!

4) Easter Egg Hunt Activity – Word has gotten out! We were contacted by Texas Roadhouse this week to come to our event and bring some free meal tokens for kids and bring their mascot. We have agreed to have them come and they are bringing some of their buns and honey cinnamon butter for the volunteers! They allowed us to advertise to their workers, 110 of them, and most of them have children. Over 1,400 postcards went out in the mail last week about this event too!It’s out on Community calendars and more. Last year there were about 300 people here for this event and most of them were not from the church. The Gospel will be clearly given to each child and guardian who come to this event in the form of a devotional time. It is a GREAT opportunity to give the Gospel to our community!

We still need your help! Thank you to all who have already signed up and or brought items for this event! There are still items that are needed, but more importantly, we need your help! We are in need of greeters who will just walk around and visit with all of the visitors during the morning. All you have to do is be a friendly face and make them feel welcome and answer questions they may have. We also need a few more people to work in the kitchen, as craft helpers, game helpers or leaders, cookie decorating helpers, and Egg Hunt leaders too. If you can help with this event, please sign up in the foyer this week or email the office as we would love to have your help!

Thank you so much! We realize that it is a very busy weekend and we are so thankful for all of your support, prayers and help. Have a wonderful afternoon!

Background: Even in a healthy body, we sometimes experience pain. Pain is a gift from God when it forces us to stop and consider what God is teaching us. We need times to reflect. If we are not forced to slow down and stop, we will continue running in high gear with no time to consider applications of God’s word to our lives.

When we have a chronic pain, at some point we consult a doctor and find relief with a pain medication. Has God provided any relief for spiritual and emotional pain? What do we do when our spiritual life is hurting? What medication does God prescribe to hurting people and hurting churches?

Background: We begin this month with a new subject. What are the ingredients of a healthy church? List some of the attributes and characteristics that make a healthy church.

As with any living being on this earth, there are certain things to maintain life and certain things that are necessary to promote health. Fresh air, a balanced diet, regular exercise, proper sleep are just some of them. The church is also a living organism and it also requires some basic items that will promote strength and health.